PHARMAC's review of the Named Patient Pharmaceutical assessment policy (NPPA) - seeking your views

The NPPA policy has been in place for two years, and in that time it’s also been updated to manage hospital medicines.

We’re seeking your views on the NPPA Policy, and any other issues you may have with PHARMAC’s provision of subsidies for exceptional circumstances.

Providing a response

This discussion document includes:

• Information on how to make a response
• Background to the establishment of NPPA and our OPP review
• Information on the NPPA policy
• Questions to help guide your response

Seeking your views

This document outlines what the NPPA policy is, why we’re reviewing it and how you can get involved and have your say. We have tried to describe the NPPA policy with enough detail so you can make an informed response, but nothing in this document is intended to direct your response, or eliminate anything from discussion. We want to know what you think of the NPPA policy, if it achieves the objectives we set out to achieve when we established it two years ago, and if there are any changes you think we should make.  Particular questions we would like you to consider are listed at the end.

Submitting your response

Comments can be submitted via email, fax or letter by 2 May 2014 to:

We’ve also set some time aside to discuss the NPPA review at a consultation event we’re holding on Tuesday 15 April 2014. Details of this event can be found on our website.  We also invite interested people or groups who cannot make the consultation event to meet with PHARMAC staff to present their views. Please contact Rachel Melrose at opp@pharmac.govt.nz by 2 May 2014 if you would like to arrange a time to meet with us. If a range of groups are interested in meeting with us, we may organise larger group meetings.